Neuropsychological Assessment in Stroke

Transcription

1 Neuropsychological Assessment in Stroke Brandon Ally, PhD Department of Neurology

2 Overview What is Neuropsychology Stroke Specific Neuropsychology Neuropsychological Domains Case Study

3 What is Neuropsychology? The study of brain-behavior relationships Clinical NP uses pencil and paper (and computer) measures to understand an individual s cognition compared to a normative group Cognitive NP uses experimental psychology and neuroimaging to understand brain and cognitive function in healthy and diseased individuals

4 Why a Neuropsychologist Bedside testing can be extremely helpful, but it is important to remember that a raw score is not diagnostic ALL scores need to be placed in context NPs are also trained as clinical psychologists, and can integrate psychosocial dynamics into clinical picture (as well as address emotional issues)

5 How to make a referral The way pts learn about a referral to NP can affect cooperation, anxiety, effort, etc. that can affect performance With no preparation, they ONLY hear the word psychologist making them defensive and anxious APPROACH: possibility of changes in memory and thinking. Testing can help identify strengths and weaknesses, and help to develop strategies to cope with areas of deficit

6 Referral Questions Example of what not to do: Has brain, please evaluate Example referral questions: Patient complaining of short-term memory problems, also possibly depressed Patient late on bills, please evaluate ability to independently manage finances

7 Approaches Screening Hierarchical Flexible Fixed

8 NP Testing in Stroke Originally to examine cognitive function to identify neuroanatomical structures and functions that have been affected Presently to identify strengths and weakness in cognition, to assess progress, and to assess behavioral and affective syndromes Cognitive rehab, address return to work/school issues, other psych issues

9 Type of Assessment 0 to 3 months post-stroke Screening battery Changing fairly rapidly Identify strengths and weaknesses to aid in treatment and rehab planning min battery; quick turnaround on report

10 Type of Assessment 3 to 12 months post-stroke Comprehensive battery Change occurring in small increments Identify strengths and weaknesses to aid in treatment and rehab planning 1-6 hour battery Core battery with additional tests to address specific concerns

11 Type of Assessment 12+ months post-stroke Comprehensive battery Change less likely to occur Identify what areas are still impaired 1-6 hour battery Core battery with additional tests to address specific concerns + examine psychological/psychiatric component Assess potential underlying neurodegenerative condition

12 Cognition NP evaluation should assess the following domains after a stroke: Attention Executive Functioning Language Memory Visuospatial Functioning Psychomotor Speed

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14 Attention Evaluations should always begin with a measure of attention Without basic attention, all other results are invalid NAnatomical structure: ARAS, thalamus, multimodal prefrontal regions NT: Dopaminergic and Cholinergic pathways

15 Types of Attention Focused or Selective - capacity to highlight 1 or 2 important stimuli while ignoring others (concentration) Sustained - capacity to maintain attention over a period of time (vigilance) Divided - ability to respond to more than one task at a time Alternating - ability to shift focus

16 Bedside of Attention Digit Span is a measure of capacity of sustained attention Forwards (below 5 cutoff; 4 borderline) Intubated and nonfluent patients can be examined by squeezing your hand when they hear a certain letter

17 Attention in the Clinic Trail Making Test Part A is also an easy way to measure sustained attention, concentration, and processing speed in the clinic Requires subjects to connect numerical dots as quickly as possible (timed test); requires visual sequencing and attention Generally tasked between 30 and 90 seconds

18 Quick Measures of Attention Digits forward is an easy way to measure attention in the clinic Patients with movement problems Patients with significant deficits in processing speed Trails Part A is also an easy and quick way to measure attention and processing speed Patients with language problems

19 Attention Findings Digit span forward is resistant to many brain disorders, including aging Attention tends to be more vulnerable to left hemisphere injury than to right or diffuse injury Attention can be drastically affected by psychiatric reasons (anxiety and depression)

20 Executive Functioning

21 Executive functioning One of the most complex forms of behavior Thought to be governed by frontal lobes 4 main components: 1.volition and awareness 2.planning and execution 3.monitoring, inhibition, and sequencing of actions 4.problem solving, abstract thinking, mental flexibility

22 Volition Described as determining what one needs or wants, and what kind of action needs to occur to meet these needs (apathy, abulia, etc) Measured as the capacity and motivation for intentional behavior (caregiver report) Volition is affected by damage to the frontalsubcortical or frontolimbic circuitry, right hemisphere damage, or diffuse damage (e.g., Alzheimer s disease)

23 Planning and Execution Tests of planning and execution tend to be highly correlated with functional impairment. Therefore, they are great bedside measures of overall cognitive and daily functioning Easiest to administer is the Clock Drawing Test

24 Clock Drawing Test Draw a clock, put in all the numbers, and set the hands to ten after eleven Usually scored out of 7: 1.Drew circle 2.Anchor 3, 6, 9, and 12 3.Numbers in correct order 4.Numbers spaced properly 5.Two hands on clock 6.Hands set to the correct time 7.Size differentiation of hands

25 Monitoring, Sequencing, Inhibition of Actions Monitoring and inhibiting behavior is critical to daily functioning Cognitive and Motor Trails B and Go/No-Go is an easy way to ascertain this in the clinic Also in more advanced syndromes, frontal release signs can be tested using neurologic exam (e.g., palmar grasp*, palmomental, rooting, snout)

26 Trail Making Test Part B Trail Making Test Part B is an easy way to measure cognitive flexibility and set shifting in the clinic Highly correlated with ability to live independently Requires subjects to alternate b/w alphabetical and numerical dots (timed test) Generally tasked between 60 and 300 seconds

27 Problem Solving and Mental Flexibility Problem Solving and Mental Flexibility take longer to assess, but can also be helpful in understanding one s ability to live independently Usually get examples from caregivers Bedside can incorporate testing such as proverbs, similarities, coin switching

28 Wisconsin Card Sorting

29 Executive control of Language Verbal Fluency Letter and Category (semantic) fluency Timed test, within 1 min, name as many items as possible F - A - S Animals, Fruits, Vegetables

30 Using Verbal Fluency in Differential Letter Fluency is more frontally based (retrieval with rules) [executive] No proper nouns, no different forms of same word Category Fluency is more temporally based, measure of semantic network integrity [language]

31 Memory

32 STM in the clinic STM is tested using MMSE recall However, there is a critical piece of information missing to determine etiology of memory problem Recognition is important

33 Recognition Patients with impaired recall can have a true memory disorder, or they could have frontally based retrieval problems Recognition (even if in multiple-choice format) tells you whether the information got in and the pt is just having trouble retrieving it Examining false alarms is also important

34 Bedside testing Episodic Memory An easy way to test episodic memory in the clinic is asking Qs during interview Incorporate into rapport building, ask about favorite TV show, sports team, recent meals Patients with frontal subcortical syndromes tend to do well with cuing Patients with true memory problems tend to talk in generalities

35 Visuospatial Functioning

36 Visuospatial Functioning Helps us determine depth and distance Critical in navigation Interaction with attention (neglect syndromes with right parietal damage) Can correlate with difficulties driving and getting lost

37 Visuospatial Tasks

38 Language

39 Language Language functioning is fairly evident upon meeting with patient Conversation is the best evidence for problems with fluency, word-finding, comprehension, and paraphasic errors Should include some measure of confrontation naming (MMSE uses common nouns)

40 Aphasic Syndromes Type Fluency Comprehen Repetition Naming Other Names Broca s poor good poor poor Wernicke s good poor poor poor expressive, motor receptive, sensory Global poor poor poor poor Conduction good good poor good Anomic good good good poor amnesic, semantic Transcortical motor poor good good poor Transcortical good poor good poor Subcortical fair to good variable variable varibale

41 Motor Speech Disorders Apraxia of Speech - Motor speech disorder where parts of brain that control speech are affected Dysarthria - Motor speech disorder where muscles of the face become weak after CVA or head injury (cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy)

42 Psychological Aspects of Stroke If untreated mood problems persist, they can interfere with rehab: Patients not motivated to engage Patients feel helpless Patient can fear getting better, which means being sent home and coping on their own Patients are scared to do too much in fear of having another stroke.

43 Psychological Aspects of Stroke Depression occurs in 30-50% of stroke patients Feeling sad (verbally or body action) Tearful Not engaging Not sleeping well Loss of appetite Constantly dwelling on why and what happened

44 Psychological Aspects of Stroke Anxiety occurs in up to 25% of stroke patients Unable to relax Nervous Scared Fear of worst happening, loss of control Fear of heart attack / heart racing Panick Quick and shallow breathing

45 Common behavioral problems Disinhibition/Impulsivity controlling or restraining behavior Agitation being fidgety, would up Aggression verbal or physical Not sleeping Not eating Delirium / Dementia

46 Adding a Mood Measure Hospital & Depression Scale Geriatric Depression Scale Stroke Aphasia Depression Questionnaire

47 Questions? Thank You